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GRAPPLING WITH GREED

Exodus 20:17

The Lord – “Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.” (Exodus 20:17)

• What would you be willing to do for $10 million?
• “25% of Americans would abandon their families, 23% would become a prostitute for a week, 7% would murder a stranger, 25% would abandon their church, 16% would give up their American citizenship, 16% would leave their spouses, 10% would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free, and 3% would put up their children for adoption for $10 million.” (The Day America Told The Truth, James Patterson, and Peter Kim)
• Covetousness is the overwhelming “desire to acquire” or “a need birthed by greed.”
• The desire to “have more” is from God – and is not bad unless it consumes us.
• It’s not wrong to have desires for better things – but it is wrong when we are obsessed with getting what others have or what we think we need to have.
• Covetousness is a sin that is often hidden from others, but it is a sin that hinders our fellowship with God, and keeps us from His best in our lives.
• “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or GREED among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.” (Ephesians 5:3)
• What are some steps we can take to address and overcome the struggle with “covetousness” in our lives?

Overcoming Our Struggle With Covetousness Requires:
DISCOVERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF GREED

• “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
• “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear…Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19, 21)
• “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.” (Galatians 6:8)
• We can choose our choices, but not the consequences of our choices.

Being Covetous/Greedy Often Brings:

• PHYSICAL DEMISE TO OUR LIVES
  • “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.” (Proverbs 23:4)
• FINANCIAL DEBT TO OUR LIVES
  • “The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income.” (Ecclesiastes 5:11 LB)
• EMOTIONAL DISTRESS TO OUR LIVES
  • “People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich (covetous) seldom get a good night’s sleep.” (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
• RELATIONAL DISAGREEMENTS TO OUR LIVES
  • “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” (James 4:1-2)
• MENTAL DISSATISFACTION TO OUR LIVES
  • “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
  • Wealth or things can only bring us temporal happiness.
• SPIRITUAL DECLINE TO OUR LIVES
  • “Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)
• “Even though I’ve conquered the world, I can carry nothing with me into the hereafter.” (Alexander the Great)
• What are some “things” that I have coveted after, and how has that covetousness impacted my life?

Overcoming Our Struggle With Covetousness Requires:
DETERMINING TO CONQUER OUR GREED

• Paul – “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11)
• We need to take some steps that will enable us to develop contentment rather than covetousness in our lives.

We Move From Covetousness To Contentment By:

• ACKNOWLEDGING COVETOUSNESS IN OUR HEARTS
  • “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
  • Pretending that we don’t covet is not the same as overcoming covetousness.
  • “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8)
• BREAKING FREE OF COVETOUS DESIRES
  • “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)
  • God will forgive us and deliver us from covetousness, but we need to maintain that freedom by rebuking covetous desires when we have them.
  • “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.” (1 Peter 2:16)
• CALIBRATING OUR INCOME AND EXPENSES
  • Coveting often leads us to have “champagne taste on a beer budget.”
  • “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
  • One critical step in overcoming covetousness is developing and living by a budget.
  • “A budget is telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went.” – Dave Ramsey
  • Everydollar.com hosts Christian-based resources for setting and living on a budget.
• DECIDING TO BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE
  • “When God gives any man wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19)
  • Often an attitude of gratitude is the difference between covetousness and contentment.
  • “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• ENGAGING IN GENEROSITY TO THE LORD AND OTHERS
  • Jesus – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
  • “Outrageous generosity is a character quality of people who win with money.” – Dave Ramsey
  • Displaying generosity is how we prove to the Lord, the world, and ourselves that we are overcoming covetousness.
    One way we can be generous at the end of 2021 is by giving generously to Celebration’s Everyone Needs Jesus Christmas Missions Offering.
• “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:8-10)
• “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)
• Satisfaction can only come from a decision to be content with what the Lord has provided for us in our lives.
• “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from You alone, for You rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and at Your discretion, people are made great and given strength.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)
• When we focus on growing closer to the Lord rather than “gaining more,” that’s when we will experience real joy, peace, and purpose in our lives.
• What is the Lord saying to me through this message, and what am I going to do in response to this message?